Author Archives: Jennifer Kohlhammer

• Fire Restriction Issued for Siksika Nation

  August 4, 2026 5:49 pm Comments Off on Fire Restriction Issued for Siksika Nation

  Siksika Nation has issued a Fire Restriction due to the dry, windy, and warm conditions that exist and are forecasted. There is a very high risk of fire spread during windy conditions in any cured (dead and dry) grass fuel type, such as those that exist across the area of Siksika Nation. Due to the rapidly changing weather conditions and the fine fuel moisture content, Siksika Nation may move to a Ban with little to no notice.

  A Fire Restriction prohibits the use of wood campfires on public land, but does allow wood campfires inside provincial campgrounds and private property. For a list of relevant activities and their current restriction levels, please see the notice below. And please note that fire permits may be restricted, suspended or cancelled and no new fire permits will be issued.

  

  

• Siksika Health Services Employee Recognition Nomination Form

  July 23, 2026 4:34 pm Comments Off on Siksika Health Services Employee Recognition Nomination Form

  Values Star Recognition Program

  Are you Nominating an Individual or Team?(Required)

  IndividualTeam

  Name of the Individual or Team You Are Nominating:(Required)

  Which organizational value(s) did the nominee demonstrate?(Required)

  Select All

  Teamwork: We treat each other with respect, trust, dignity, and support.

  Resiliency: We stay positive and keep going, even when things are hard.

  Leadership: We take initiative and show strong, committed, and creative leadership.

  Client-focused: We provide care and services based on what our clients need.

  Please provide specific examples of how the nominee demonstrated the selected organizational value(s).(Required)

  Describe the actions, behaviours, or accomplishments that made a positive impact on clients, patients, families, coworkers, the organization, or the community.

  What best describes your relationship to Siksika Health Services?(Required)

  Select one.

  Patient / Client

  Family Member

  Community Member

  Organizational Partner

  Volunteer

  Employee

  Manager

  Physician

  Other
  

  What is your name? (Optional)

  You may choose to submit your nomination anonymously.

  First Last

  Contact Information (Optional)

  This information will only be used if clarification or additional details are needed about your nomination.

  May Siksika Health Services share this nomination story publicly?(Required)

  This may include recognition announcements, newsletters, social media, the website, or other organizational communications.

  Yes

  No

  Submit

• Staying Healthy During Heat Waves

  July 10, 2026 11:29 am Comments Off on Staying Healthy During Heat Waves

  During periods of heat, everyone is at an increased risk, including your pets. These conditions can increase heat related illness and increase the risk of fire and power outages.

  We can all prepare for extreme heat by:

  – Keep yourself hydrated by drinking plenty of fluids like water (about 1 cup for every 15-20 minutes that you’re in the heat). This the most important thing you can do to stay health and safe during a heat wave.

  – Know the signs of heat stroke and heat exhaustion: feeling dizzy and light headed is a sign of heat stroke. Lack of sweating is also a sign of heat stroke, that could require a visit to the hospital.

  – Limit exposure outdoors. Stock up on key supplies such as groceries, medications, and drinking water to avoid the need to take extra trips outside.

  – Ensure you have extra cooling options by freezing ice or ice packs, and chill water in spray bottles so you can cool yourself down.

  – Check that cooling appliances are in working order (fans, air conditioners) and have back-up options that don’t require power (i.e. cold washcloths).

  – While its tempting to access public water ways such as the Bow River, please be mindful of the potential dangers of strong current, debris, and visibility as the spring runoff is still occurring.

  Further tips can be found at alberta.ca/ExtremeHeat

  For more information on weather conditions, visit the Environment Canada website or download the WeatherCan app to your smart phones or devices

• 2026 Ka’ahsinooniiks Week

  June 19, 2026 2:22 pm Comments Off on 2026 Ka’ahsinooniiks Week

  It was an honour to gather in celebration, connection, and recognition of our Elders, our knowledge keepers, language holders, and guides.

  A meaningful highlight of the week was the Cultural Naming and Blessing Ceremonies, including the blessing and honouring of the Transportation Service: Ah’tsi Stonmahkaah (Transportation), in honour of Glenn Running Rabbit and the traditional renaming of Elder Abuse Case Services: Ah’koomim’ah Kahsinoonikks Services, both presented by Elder Clement Leather.

  We extend our heartfelt thanks to all who attended, supported, and helped make this week meaningful, and a special thank you to our sponsors, MNP and Alberta Blue Cross, for their generous support. We also thank Grey Eagle Hotel & Casino and their hosts Colleen Waskewitch, April, and Miguel for their contributions.

  Together, we continue to honour, uplift, and walk alongside our Elders .

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

• Siksika Nation Hosts Visitors from Hawaii and New Zealand for Cultural Exchange

  June 3, 2026 2:40 pm Comments Off on Siksika Nation Hosts Visitors from Hawaii and New Zealand for Cultural Exchange

  In partnership with SHS through Recreation Manager Richard Running Rabbit and Schlumberger, we were honoured to host visitors from New Zealand and Hawaii for a tour of our facilities and an opportunity to share stories, culture, and experiences.

  The visit highlighted the importance of building relationships between Indigenous communities around the world and learning from one another’s journeys in health, wellness, culture, and community development.

  We were especially honoured that our guests presented gifts to Chief and community representatives as a symbol of friendship, respect, and connection.

  Thank you to everyone who helped make this visit possible. We look forward to strengthening these relationships for years to come.

  

  

  

• Siksika Health Services Welcomes Director of Mental Health & Community Wellness

  June 1, 2026 9:56 am Comments Off on Siksika Health Services Welcomes Director of Mental Health & Community Wellness

  Siksika Health Services is pleased to welcome SI PI SE Pi Ya Ki, Lou Ann Solway as our new Director of Mental Health and Community Wellness!

  Lou Ann is a proud member of Siksika Nation, a social worker, former leader, trauma, grief, and suicide specialist, entrepreneur, rancher, and hay farmer. She brings many years of leadership, advocacy, and community wellness experience grounded in both professional practice and traditional knowledge.

  

  Lou Ann obtained her Master of Social Work with a specialization in Leadership in Human Services from the University of Calgary. Throughout her career, she has remained a strong advocate for healing, safety, and wellness within Siksika Nation. She has spent many years learning from past and present Siksika Elders and Spiritual Leaders through teachings, stories, and hands-on approaches focused on living a strong, healthy, and courageous life. She speaks and understands Siksika, and continues to strengthen her language every day.

  Lou Ann previously served as a member of Siksika Nation’s Chief and Council, where she advocated for programs, services, and supports for the Nation and community.

  As Director of Mental Health and Community Wellness, Lou Ann will provide leadership and support across Mental Health, Substance Use and Addictions, Crisis Response, FASD, Traditional Wellness, Youth Programming, and Community Wellness services. Her focus will be on strengthening culturally grounded wellness supports, improving collaboration across programs, supporting staff and community wellness initiatives, and helping ensure services continue to meet the needs of Siksika members and families.

  We are excited to welcome Lou Ann to the organization, and look forward to the knowledge, leadership, and community centered perspective she brings to our team.

• 2026 Siksika Health Fair Brings Community Together in Celebration of Health and Connection

  May 29, 2026 2:29 pm Comments Off on 2026 Siksika Health Fair Brings Community Together in Celebration of Health and Connection

  The 2026 Siksika Health Fair welcomed 1,200 community membersfor a culturally grounded day centred on health, wellness, and connection. More than a health event, it became a community reunion, with attendees visiting and learning across our organization and partner agencies.

  This year marked a return to the informative booth format and the community-focused feel that attendees and committee members alike named as the day’s standout. The result was an event that strengthened access to services, deepened partnerships, and showcased the strong coordination of everyone involved.

  The day opened on a powerful note with a Grand Entry, opening prayer and remarks, and honouring of Old Sun Community College nursing graduates: Jazzlyn Maguire, Harmony McDonald, Valene Bear Chief, Erica Sitting Eagle, Kim Hardy, and Rhiannon Kennard. Theda Newbreast, a respected member of the Stand Up Headdress Society, had crossed the border from Montana with the knowledge that this is Blackfoot territory: remarks that set a meaningful tone and energized the room. The Stand Up Headdress Society added a deeply moving cultural element with a blessing dance to bless the Health Fair, and start it in a good way. Local youth artists, Makinely Weasel Child, Jax Running Rabbit, and Brinley Backfat shared their remarkable musical talents with attendees, keeping the momentum going throughout the day.

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  Partner participation was excellent, with key health and mental health specialists, sports and recreation partners, health accrediting and regulating bodies, Alberta Health Services sites, and programs from both on and off the Nation all coming together under one roof. More than 110 Siksika Nation members shared their voices and their stories in contribution to the Community Health Plan, a key process that will guide the work of Siksika Health Services into the future and for our coming generations.

  The 2026 Health Fair was a celebration of health, culture, and community spirit. So many thanks to special guests, including our Elders and Knowledge Keepers, the Stand-Up Headdress Society, members of Siksika Nation Council, Jocelyn Andrews, ISC Director General, Lisa Higgerty, Alberta Indigenous Health Assistant Deputy Minister, event sponsors: Blackfoot Confederacy Tribal Council, Woodward & Company LLP, Deerfoot Inn & Casino, Siksika Off-Reserve Affordable Housing (SORAH), and MK Strategy Group, to the planning committee who made this year’s event possible. We look forward to seeing all again next year!

• CPSA Leadership Visits Siksika Health Services to Strengthen Partnership

  May 11, 2026 2:36 pm Comments Off on CPSA Leadership Visits Siksika Health Services to Strengthen Partnership

  On May 11, 2026, Siksika Health Services welcomed senior leadership from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta (CPSA) to the Siksika Health & Wellness Centre for a day of dialogue, cultural exchange, and renewed commitment to working together.

  The gathering brought together CPSA’s CEO & Registrar Dr. Colleen Forestier, Deputy Registrar Dr. Dawn Hartfield, and members of their executive team alongside Siksika Health Services leadership, Board Chair Councillor Ike Solway, and Health Department managers. The visit centered on reviewing and actioning the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) originally signed in September 2023, a foundational agreement reflecting both organizations’ shared commitment to culturally safe, equitable health care for the Siksika Nation.

  The day opened in a good way, with an opening prayer and smudge led by Elder Floria Duck Chief, followed by welcoming remarks from Councillor Ike Solway, CEO Angie Sarsons, and Dr. Colleen Forestier. Over a shared lunch, the two teams turned to a wide-ranging best practices and information exchange. Discussions explored some of the most pressing issues in Indigenous health care today, including cultural safety and humility in medical practice, racism and discrimination in health care, the recruitment and retention of Indigenous physicians, trauma-informed care, jurisdictional gaps, the implementation of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) Calls to Action, and patient complaint processes.

  

  “Welcoming CPSA’s leadership to Siksika is an important step in our shared journey toward reconciliation in health care. Strengthening this relationship, grounded in mutual respect, cultural understanding, and a genuine commitment to action, helps ensure our community receives the safe, equitable, and culturally grounded care our people deserve.”

           ~ Angie Sarsons, CEO, Siksika Health Services

  “Thank you for the warm welcome to Siksika and for the opportunity to discuss how we can advance safe, quality health care together. As the medical regulator in Alberta, CPSA plays an important role in setting expectations for physician care. Patient safety is at the heart of everything we do, and we recognize that supporting safe, high-quality health care for the Siksika people is best achieved by working together as partners.”

  ~ Dr. Colleen Forestier, CPSA Registrar & CEO

  The visit concluded with closing comments, an exchange of gifts, and a tour of the Siksika Health & Wellness Centre, a meaningful close to a day focused on building trust and a stronger path forward together.

• Siksika Health Services’ FASD Program: A New Name, A New Chapter

  May 8, 2026 4:05 pm Comments Off on Siksika Health Services’ FASD Program: A New Name, A New Chapter

  We are proud to announce that Siksika Health Services’ FASD program has been given a new name. Through a traditional naming ceremony held at the Siksika Health & Wellness Centre on May 8, 2026, Natoi’kaaksiimi Clement Leather, Traditional Grandfather of the Siksika Societies, gifted the name Saapaatssi’moh’sookoi to the program, meaning “It’s for everyone.” This name reflects the spirit of moving forward in the right direction, together, as a community.

  

  The program formerly known as Siksika’s Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Program has been a cornerstone of our community’s health and wellness services. Built on the three National pillars of FASD programming, it combines a community-based approach with home visitation and ongoing follow-up supports. Because FASD is a lifelong diagnosis with no cure, the program is designed to walk alongside individuals and families at every stage of life, from early identification through adulthood.

  Siksika Nation holds a distinction that we carry with great responsibility: we were the first First Nation community in Canada to offer this type of FASD service delivery locally! Over the years, the team, led by Vanessa Doore under the guidance of Pauline Yellowfly, and now led by Tyane Redgun under the guidance of Vanessa Doore, have helped build the foundation for FASD programming across First Nation communities throughout Alberta and Canada. That work has required creativity, dedication, up-to-date training, and a deep commitment to our people.

  The name Saapaatssi’moh’sookoi better captures what this program truly is: a welcoming, inclusive service for anyone who needs it. It is our hope that this new name helps reduce the stigma that can come with an FASD diagnosis, and reminds every individual and family that support is available, and that they are not alone.

  We are grateful to Elder Clement Leather and Traditional Wellness – Moatokiks Society Member Piitainin’nawakii Leanne Sleigh, and to the organizing team and community for this meaningful gift. Saapaatssi’moh’sookoi: it’s for everyone.